In this striking visualization we see two tanks filled with water from the Honga River, an estuary of the Chesapeake Bay. The tank on the right also contains oysters. Over the course of 2 hours those oysters filtered all of the algae out of the water. The demonstration shows how effective oysters are at naturally filtering water which Maryland Seafood says benefits the entire ecosystem:

“With clearer water comes more sunlight penetration, more sea grasses, and more places for fish/crabs to hide from predators.”

 

Typically a single oyster can filter up to 2 gallons (7.57 litres) of water an hour. Check out the two videos below for a timelapse demonstration: